Rosalind longs for her father after mother left him after years of domestic abuse. They have moved to a new town. Her mother has to work, so an older woman, Tillie takes care of Rosalind and her younger sister. Roz's father comes to town with plans of getting his family back. Roz secretly meets with him and agrees to help him with plans to win back her mother. Her father's idea of a reunion does not go as planned and Roz comes to realize that things are not always as they seem. ( )

DNF ( )

The central character in this story is Roz (short for Rosalind), and the book is written from her perspective. It takes place in the last 1960s in a small town. It starts soon after her family has moved to a new home in a new city - away from their abusive father. The son, Wally, goes out the front door to get the paper and finds an old woman sitting on the porch ". . . like she owns the place." This older woman is "Tillie" and she becomes an integral part of the story of Roz and her family. It is a story of relationships and of trustworthiness. I enjoyed the characters of Roz and her best friend Mara, the eccentricities of Tillie, and the angst of Wally. I could actually imagine a real person with the characteristics of Roz's father. Although I was able to somewhat predict the ending, it did not take away from the story. There is an epilogue at the end which tied together all the loose endings and told the character's end stories. I'm not sure I liked that part - sometimes not knowing is okay too. ( )

My take: 2.5 looks - SPOILER ALERT!!

A wonderful premise for a book, and loved the addition of Tillie as a "squatter" turned grandmother, this book fell flat in many ways for me. First of all, it was extremely predictable. You know that Tillie is not going to leave. You know that Tom is not going to stay. You know that neither Roz nor Mara's situation with their fathers is going to end well.

While the story was an easy one to read, several of the dynamics were bothersome to me. First of all, Tillie's insistence to everyone that this was still her house, even though she knew that she was living with the Anthony's, initially uninvited. The "steamroller" attitude of hers was irritating, especially since she never acknowledged the kindness extended to her, even in private.

Another dynamic that bothered me was the climax with Alan Anthony. I suspected (and expected) the confrontation to escalate to violence, but I didn't think it would start there. It was a bit over the top to me, feeling contrived.

And the climax was a huge letdown. The entire book leads to Alan coming back home, and when he finally does, it is over with very little fanfare and description. Like a huge firework that turns out to be a dud. The best part of this book is the epilogue, where most of the threads are tied and you can move on.

Recommended if you need a short, easy read to cleanse your "reading palate". ( )

I bought this book for my reader for a weekend away and was not disappointed. It is, as others have reviewed, a simple but enjoyable story. The family, although having problems, are a likeable lot and the author does a good job at make the characters come alive. I would have given it 4 stars but I felt the ending was rushed. The story moves along at a steady but languid pace and then all of a sudden we are tying up all the loose ends and moving pretty quickly. I felt the author didn't know how she actually wanted to end the story. Other then that, it was a pleasant family saga with some lovable characters. ( )